Cill Dara
St. Brigids Cathedral
A picture of St. Brigids Cathedral, Co Kildare.
St. Brigids Cathedral
St. Brigids Cathedral
A picture of St. Brigids Cathedral, Co Kildare.
According to legend, Brigid travelled around the country founding convents and performing miracles, and news of her popularity filtered back to Leinster. She was asked to return and make her home there. She was offered any site in the province, and chose a place near the River Liffey where an old oak tree stood. This is the site on which Kildare town is now built. Kildare comes from the Irish Cill Dara, which means 'the Church of the Oak'.
The trunk of the oak could not be cut with a sword or a knife, the oak was said to have special powers and that it would protect anyone who could break of a piece with their hands.
Plan of St. Brigid's Cathedral
An image of a plan of St. Brigid's Cathedral, Kildare, taken from the Ordnance Survey Letters for Kildare. These were popularly known as O'Donovan's Survey Letters. The Ordnance Survey took place in 1837, 1838 and 1839 and the letters were re-published in January 2002.
Plan of St. Brigid's Cathedral
Plan of St. Brigid's Cathedral
An image of a plan of St. Brigid's Cathedral, Kildare, taken from the Ordnance Survey Letters for Kildare. These were popularly known as O'Donovan's Survey Letters. The Ordnance Survey took place in 1837, 1838 and 1839 and the letters were re-published in January 2002.
Above is a sketch of the layout of the grounds of St. Brigid's Cathedral. The cathedral was built on the site of the original convent in 1223. A round tower on the site dates from the twelfth century, but may have been built on the site of an older round tower. Can you see the site of the big oak tree from which Kildare takes its name? Can you see the site of the fire house?